International Journal of Horticulture, 2016, Vol.6, No.21, 1-8
4
and I-16(data not shown). In the present investigation, flowering duration ranged from 78days in case of check
variety BH 6(Jagannath) to a maximum of 126 days in cashew hybrids e.g., A71 and H6. However, Sen et al.
(1995) observed that duration of flowering ranging from 53.26 days to 90 days in different cashew types. Cashew
is polygamo-monoecious plant which bears inflorescence having male and hermaphrodite flowers. Flowering
season seems to vary depending upon genotypic response to location and it varied from December to March under
Bapatla (A.P, India) condition (Dorajeerao et al., 2002). Higher percentage of perfect flower and synchronized
flowering for shorter period are desirable characters (Sriharibabu, 1981; Chattopadhyay and Ghosh, 1993). In the
present investigation, the cashew hybrids e.g., F28 and F38 bore more than 200 perfect flowers, while short
synchronized flowering was observed in BH6 (78 days) followed by D10 (80 days), Kalyanpur Bold Nut (82 days)
and C30 (83 days) which came to initial flowering in first week of December, first week of February, second week
of January and first week of February respectively.
Some of the cashew genotypes e.g., J13, J14, RP1, BPP30/1, BPP8 and BH6 flowered as early as first week of
December, while most of the cashew test genotypes come to flowering during January and are categorized as
medium flowering types. A few moderately late flowering types e.g., D10, C30 and D9 revealed delayed initial
flowering (first week of February), but such genotypes had shown short synchronized flowering periods e.g., 80,
83 and 87 days respectively.
Number of flowering laterals/m
2
, number of panicles/flowering lateral and panicle characteristics e.g., length and
breadth of panicle and percentage of perfect flowers/panicle have direct bearing on apple and nut yield. A71, A48,
A62, A99, B27 and D19 had shown more than 20 flowering laterals/m
2
. Among these, B 27 exhibited significantly
longer and broader panicle as compared to the best standard check (BPP 8) while D 19 revealed significantly
broader panicle. In this context, Dorajeerao et al. (2002) observed maximum 21.25 flowering laterals/m
2
under
Bapatala (A.P., India) condition while Samal et al. (2002) observed the flowering laterals of 11.62 to 24.88 in
different cashew types under Bhubaneswar (Odisha) condition.
Tree size is compared in terms of trunk girth and canopy spread. C 41, E 3 and E 16 exhibited significantly higher
trunk girth over the best standard check variety BPP 8. Canopy spread in North-South(N-S) direction is a desirable
trait as the genotypes having more of N-S canopy spread receive sunshine for major part of the day compared to
canopy growth in East-West direction. A71, B27, C41, D10, G8 and G9, H6, H8 and I12 had revealed
significantly large canopy spread in North-South direction. While, none of the test genotypes could surpass the
best standard check variety BPP 8 for canopy spread in East-West direction. Falade (1981) studied varietal
differences in tree size and yield of cashew under Nigeria condition. The variations in the size of the tree were
found to be comparatively narrower than that in the yield.
Varieties greatly differ in their yield potential with regard to year of harvest. Nut yield was assessed over two
years. Overall productivity (nut yield) of the present set of cashew genotypes was 2.77 kg/plant/plant (1.71 ton/ha)
which resulted from an average 4.75 nuts/panicle with nut weight of 7.83 gm and kernel weight of 2.39 gm.
Nuts/panicle is reported to be a primary component trait for improving nut yield (Lenka et al., 2001; Aliyu, 2006).
Highest number of nuts/panicle (8.02) was recorded in a cashew hybrid G- 8 which was one of the top five high
yielding cashew hybrids. Among 71 test genotypes, all the top yielders were the hybrids which had shown
significantly higher productivity (>3.63 kg/plant and 2.25 ton/ha) as compared to the best standard check variety
“
BPP8
”
with nut yield of 3.16kg/plant and 1.97ton/ha.. Cashew nut hybrids e.g., D19, H6, B27, A71 and G8
(Figure 2) recorded nut yield
≥
2.50 tons/ha and among these D19 recorded highest productivity (4.34 g/plant
and 2.71 ton/ha). Damodaran (1979) studied variability in the F1 population of cashew and observed considerable
variations for mean nut yield, weight of 100 nuts, shelling %, mean weight of apple, size, colour and shape of
apple. It was also noted that a large number of productive hybrid progenies were derived from the crosses in
which one of the parent was an exotic type.
A wide array of genetic variation was observed for apple and nut characteristics among parents and promising
